>> you are watching the "journal" on dw-tv. our top stories at this hour -- one person is dead and dozens more injured after a car bomb explosion in central jerusalem. japan says infants are potentially at risk. his warning this potential radioactive contamination in tokyo's drinking water. and the death of a hollywood legend. actress liz taylor has died. israeli prime minister benjamin netanyahu says the attack is

responsible for wednesday's bus bombing will learn israel has an iron will to defend itself, and he promised an aggressive response. this after a huge blast in jerusalem killed one person and injured dozens of others, some of them seriously. police say the device was placed in a bag next to a bus shelter at the central city bus station. the bomb detonated near jerusalem's bus terminal, a busy part of the city. dozens of ambulances rushed to the scene with medics fearing the worst. >> there were no injuries on the bus. most of those wounded were in the station. perhaps the explosion was in the station because it appears there was no blast inside the bus. it remained intact. >> the explosion was heard across the city. it is the first time since 2004 that israeli public transport has been the public target of a

bomb attack. officials have been scouring the scene of the blast looking for evidence that could lead them to the perpetrators. police have officially labeled the explosion a terrorist attack. >> after years of relative peace in israel, is there any indication why this attack happens now after such a long time? >> certainly too early to say why it happened at this moment, but what you can see is people are looking around. heightened tensions between the south and. people have been called to stay in shelters. schools have been closed. on the other hand, increased attacks on the gaza strip, and civilians have been killed there, so there are a lot of

tensions already, and what you can say for sure is that this attack in jerusalem is that this will not make things easier or ease the tensions that are already here. >> what consequences are we likely to see in the wake of a blast? >> it certainly all depends who would claim response ability for this attack today in jerusalem. what you can hear tonight from mrs. in israel -- they are called already for harsh retaliation, said that is something you might expect in the coming hours, depending on who is claiming responsibility. over the past days, called that there might be, because of these increased the tax, that there might be a new offensive on gossip. all this is a lot of talk. there are a lot of tensions. people on nervous, but it is a very volatile situation.

the palestinian city has harshly condemned this attack. >> thank you. britain says it will be hosting a summit in london next week. progress on the u.s. mandate intervention in libya. the u.s. military said there is no indication that coalition air strikes resulted in any civilian casualties. wednesday night, sites again or targeted in the capital of tripoli. bobby gaddafi -- gaddafi's tanks in israel were hit. schelling's have resumed. >> a propaganda war is also being waged in libya. brandishing, a presenter on libyan state television pledged to give his last breath for libyan leader gaddafi. state television also broadcast images of gaddafi's supporters

staging demonstrations and gaddafi himself making a brief public appearance for the first time in days. speaking from his compound, gaddafi pledged victory, denouncing what he called the unjustified aggression of crusader nations. although the united nations- backed strike had forced his troops to retreat, battles are still waiting on the ground. rebels and regime forces are still fighting for controleastee been engaged in a standoff for days. the u.s. president says intervention would not end until it had entered the safety of the libyan people. >> unless he is willing to step down, there will still be potential threats toward the libyan people, and we will continue to support the efforts to support -- protect the libyan people. >> president obama expressed confidence the u.s. would say be able to step back from its lead role in the mission. nato leaders are deliberating in

muscles to decide on the extent of the reliances libelous in libya. >> they have been talking for three days now and still have not managed to sort out this command issue. what is the problem? >> it is becoming a bit of a marathon here. basically, you have two camps. one led by the british believe that nato, as the military arm of western leader defense, should take the lead in an operational role, running military strategy, but one of the key players in this libyan assault says backed by turkey and germany, it opposes the idea that nato should be the lead player because they believe it would underline it -- undermine the support of the arab league. instead, they say to let nida have a technical, but they will run military strategy of cells. that is the deadlock. that was expected to be both --

fix tonight. has not been. there are expected to be more talks. meanwhile, the president says americans want to pull back from a primary role. a stalemate, but nato will continue talking. >> are they going to be able to break the stalemate or keep talking for another week? >> excellent question. it is not clear at all spirit obviously, there is a lot of pressure on them to reach agreement because the fighting going on in libya already, and back in brussels, they have a classic situation, but it matters you sleep to france and britain how is perceived and who runs the show. right now, all we can say is there is a compromise. the idea is that foreign ministers of the nations involved in the fighting will actually have political control

in a series of meetings starting next week. there will be a meeting chaired by the british foreign secretary in london to give political overview, political strategy to what is happening in libya. meanwhile, nato back here in brussels will be desperately struggling to work out with its primary physician should be -- operational, technical, humanitarian -- and i think it is embarrassing for western allies and frustrating for the americans. >> thank you. in germany has made it clear it will have nothing to do with native of's involvement of a no- fly zone over libya and has pulled out of their operations in the mediterranean. but in a book aimed at helping libya, the cabinet approved plans to supply crews for nato surveillance aircraft over afghanistan. the reasoning there is that more german troops in afghanistan will allow nato to dedicate more people to its libyan mission. in syria, security forces have

reportedly shot and killed at least 15 demonstrators. this according to eyewitnesses there. some of the protesters were gathered at a mosque that has been the focus of recent anti- government demonstrations. there have been protests for the past several days. demonstrators calling for an end to 1-party rule. the many present and has agreed to hold presidential elections by the end of this year. the move comes after weeks of anti-government protests in the arab states. on wednesday, several thousand demonstrators gathered in front of the city pure opposition supporters are demanding an end to the president goes a 32-year rule. at the same time, yemen's parliament approved a request to impose emergency law for 30 days. one of the workers struggling to prevent disaster at the fukushima nuclear power plant was exposed to a high radiation

dose that may increase the risk of cancer. the iea also says increased levels of radioactive iodine and helium had been found in seawater near the plant. across the countries, fears about radiation in food and water are growing. >> it is drinking water from this plant that has been found to contain high levels of radioactive iodine, a major worry for parents with young children. >> radiation is going to be most likely increasing rather than decreasing. we need to put water away. >> people in tokyo far along and have been stockpiling bottled water from supermarkets across the sprawling mark mid -- mitropoulos, and there was little reason for cheer. smoke was seen rising overreacted 3, its cause on known, but there were some programs. all reactors are now connected to the main's power, but

engineers have had to interrupt their work. at the leading the site due to the smoke and radiation levels. >> big day for portugal year. >> we just had word that portugal's parliament has rejected the wide-ranging deficit-cutting package proposed by the minority government. the measures were meant to make sure it did not have to tap into eu bailout funding. prime minister said he would step down if the package failed to pass, which would mean new elections at a time when portugal is trying to reduce its deficit from last year's figure of 7% of gross domestic product. antisocialist led minority government propose top. the finance minister fought hard for support from the opposition.

>> it is my duty and responsibility to continue with these measures. i am certain they will help our country overcome the problems we face right now. the country must continue on this path. otherwise, we will not get out of the crisis, and we will gamble away our future. >> the only applause came from his party colleagues. other parties say they have had enough of these strict austerity measures and resentment has been growing among voters as well. many portuguese are afraid more cuts will plunge them into poverty. but the measures have resulted in some success -- portugal's budget deficit was 9.4% in 2009. in 2010, it dropped to 7.3%. socialists hope to get it down to about 4.5% by the end of this year. now that the government has lost the vote in parliament, it is likely that portuguese bond yields could soar, forcing the country to apply for the eu

bailout fund. >> britain's finance minister has just presented the 2011 annual budget to parliament. even with the deficit reaching a record 10% of gdp, britain's conservative liberal democratic coalition is sticking to plans for a 1.3 billion euros tax break for low earners. >> the economic situation in britain looks grim. growth remains sluggish in the fourth quarter, and unemployment is at its highest level since 1994. at the same time, inflation in february was double what had previously been forecast. morale among its public sector workers is low after sweeping job cuts. >> the cuts are simply an ideological attack on the welfare state, and really, this government is using the banking crisis to do what it would have loved to do anyway. >> the chancellor of the

exchequer, as britain's finance minister is known, has already postponed a fuel tax hike. george osborn also wants to provide more support for first- time homebuyers, and 50,000 apprenticeships for young people. >> let's take a quick look at some of the market numbers now. we start first in frankfurt where it was green across the board today. the eurostock 50 at 2066. dutch industrial average trading at 12,086, and the bureau will get you $1.4109. -- the euro. some companies continue to perform equally well in good years and in bad. the largest german arms producer had a good year last year. it posted 4 billion euros in revenue. profit came in at 174 million years. the global arms market is massive. swiss research institute estimates global volume of $--

of one trillion 200 billion euros. >> thanks, sarah appeared online voting has begun for the annual deutsche welle blog competition. 187 have been short list across a range of categories. this year, a number of web sites from the arab world are in the running. there are also awards for the best social activism campaign and the best video of -- video log. the last of the hollywood davis is dead. dave elizabeth taylor and passed away on wednesday in los angeles -- game -- dame elizabeth taylor passed away on wednesday in los angeles. the story of her life on-screen and off-screen was exceptional even by hollywood standards. >> only one actress was considered for the role of cleopatra. elizabeth taylor at the height

of her career, starring opposite the love of her life, richard burton. they married twice in a tempestuous and toward relationship, scandalous even by hollywood standards. by the late 1960's, taylor's best years as an actress were behind her, but she stayed in the spotlight with a weakness for alcohol, prescription drugs, and the trappings of luxury. in the 1980's, she emerged as a prominent activist in the fight against aids, but the superstar was plagued with health problems and was in and out of the hospital for much of her later life. taylor and critical raves with her intense performance in the tennessee williams classic "cat on a hot tin roof." >> thank you for keeping still. >> richard burton once said of her, "she looks at you with those eyes, and your blood

turns." elizabeth taylor -- one of hollywood's immortal -- has died at the age of 79. >> back right after the break with more on the situation in libya. >> people with ideas aimed at halting climate change, doing their bit all over the world.

>> is it 40% on fuel costs. -- i save 40% on fuel costs. >> global ideas in global 3000. >> welcome back. libya appears further away from a cease-fire than ever. the battle between rebel forces and troops loyal to muammar gaddafi in its fifth week. under the protective umbrella, rebel forces are trying to organize. on wednesday, they formed an interim government, saying this is an important step to helping them freed the entire country, but gaddafi is as pleasant as ever. he swore on television tuesday that he and his loyalists will be victorious. we have this report on the influence that the leaders still enjoys. >> somehow, the libyan leader still manages to rally the

masses. he is trying to convince them that the world is on his side. around the world, people are demonstrating for our cause. in asia, africa, in america, and in europe, the people are on our side. those who were against us form a minority. it is hard to tell of these are just slogans, or if the libyan dictator has found renewed strength. international coalition claims successes and wants to destroy military installations in tripoli and rebels celebrating in been gauzy, little is known about who is now in control of which areas. the rebel national council has sometimes drop out of sight. experts like the italian libya observer are speculating who will eventually take over power from gaddafi. some names are being mentioned. even lesser-known ones.

at first, we expected further defections by government officials and libyan ambassadors, but the wave of defections suddenly stopped. what could this mean? and many seem to be biding their time. rebels meanwhile seem to be fully in control. on tuesday, gaddafi's forces were attacking. dozens of people are reported killed, and here, too, alice are launching air strikes on troops loyal to a tripoli. one future scenario is a libya divided into east and west with serious consequences for the entire region. >> if it ever comes to a petition, i am convinced that libya as a nation state would disappear from the picture. >> in the past, gaddafi has presented himself as a champion of a united arab world.

today, he is fighting for his own survival. the biggest risk now facing libya is a military stalemate, which could lead to years of civil war and no foreseeable end to the suffering of its people. >> the fact that there's already talk about a stalemate proves that the international community is worried that the no-fly zone will not resolve the conflict. on wednesday, kuwait, jordan, and turkey announced they will join qatar as muslim countries in a military alliance protecting libya. will this make a difference in public opinion about the middle east and the campaign? we have this report. >> two months after the judgment revolution held in the arab spring, people in tunis are celebrating their hard-won freedom, even if authorities are still keeping a watchful eye. so what did tunisian think about the military intervention in neighboring libya? >> i'm in favor of air strikes because i think there is no

other solution. >> gaddafi has taken tyranny over his people a step too far. >> the interference in libya is nothing other than colonialism. they just care about the oil. >> the arab league has been unusually united on the issue. the organization, whose members are so often at loggerheads, came out in favor of a no-fly zone. perhaps the sign-off gaddafi's and popularity among other arab leaders -- unpopularity among other arab leaders. but leaders in some countries fear a domino effect, such as algeria, where the president has already been forced to make major concessions to the opposition. or syria where protests recently flared against the regime of the president. could that fear also be behind the way for an attitude of the

arab league's leader? he came out in favor of a no-fly zone only to criticize the air strikes as too harsh and then declare a day later that he had been misunderstood. >> we will continue to work on protecting civilians, and insist that all take this into consideration in any military move and the protection of civilians will remain the issue that we all, the arab league and security council, agree on. >> what a fellow egyptians think? >> i do not mind. >> i'm not against but they should protect the people and go home, not like in iraq. >> i am against foreign intervention in libya because innocent people are bound to become victims, to pusho -- too. gaddafi could use civilians as

human shields. >> the egyptian government has been reluctant to comment on the intervention, possibly out of concern for the many egyptian nationals working in libya. >> where does germany stand? the government is being criticized at home and abroad for not joining the coalition. germany has also pulled out of nato operations in the mediterranean and placed four navy ships back under german control. but in a move aimed at helping the coalition mission in libya, the cabinet in berlin approve plans to supply close for aircraft over afghanistan. them in the united nations security council passed resolution 1973 last friday. it calls for a no-fly zone over libya. of the u.s., france, and britain were among the powers voting for the resolution. germany abstained, along with china and russia. since then, the german

government has been at pains to persuade the international community that berlin is really for the measure. >> the majority of security council members voted for the resolution and so i made it clear that that makes it our resolution as well. and that we also want to see it implemented successfully. >> but there was criticism of the government's hesitance on the issue. even from within merkel's conservative party. >> it would have been better for us to have stood behind our nato partners. then there would have been no doubt about our position, and we still would not have had to have gotten involved militarily. >> the german foreign minister said the a reaction by calling for an embargo on oil to counterclaims that germany was in diplomatic isolation. >> as far as the military operation is concerned, we are not alone in maintaining a

skeptical stance. either on an international level, nor within europe. >> but many observers disagree. some say germany's wavering on the issue could damage the country's reputation as a reliable ally. >> we are the largest member of the european union and its strongest economy. after the usa, with the second largest member of nato. we are not a dwarf state, but we are acting like one. >> social democrat leaders came out in support of the abstention, but the party is divided on the issue. most social democrat lawmakers disagree. >> i think it is shameful. an extension is not acceptable in decisions about tyrants. >> ironically, the government's staunchest support in parliament on the issue comes from the former communist left party, who are opposed to military action. a sign the government has sidelined itself on the issue of

libya. >> that has been our "in depth "at this hour. you're watching dw-tv. stay with us.

issue one, libya's ceases firing. >> speaking of the city of benghazi, a city of roughly 700,000 people, he threatened, and i quote, we will have no mercy and no pity. the united states, the united kingdom, france, and arab states agree that a cease-fire must be mitch meant immediately. >> on thursday, the u.n. security council passed a

resolution authorizing a no-fly zone over libya, meaning bombs away against gaddafi if needed. on friday, libya announced it would honor the u.n. resolution, and cease firing. stopping all military operations. question, is gaddafi's promise of a cease-fire credible? i ask you, patted. >> we'll have to wait and see, john. i think gaddafi's handled this fairly well. there's still some firing going on, but barack obama issued pretty much an ultimatum. he said gaddafi has got to get out of the area which he occupied, and which is contested now. so i think what we're seeing is the beginning of an allied intervention, british, french, and maybe the gulf states coming in. i see how we get into this war. but i really don't see how it continues and what the end game is, and how you end it just with a no-fly zone. secondly, the president of the united states is committed to

commit acts of war against libya, and he does not have the authorization of the congress of the united states, either house of the congress, as lbj got with the gulf resolution. >> what did that provide? >> gulf resolution authorized him to make airstrikes against north vietnam. but he doesn't have the authorization of the american congress. he has a security council resolutions, but the president cannot act, i believe, without the congress. >> pat sees and on part of gaddafi as a declaration of war. >> this is the only person, pat, who recalls that gulf resolution as if it's a rev references thing. it was phony resolution he used to get a reluctant congress. i don't think excepts for the this will exist. this is not barack obama war. that is a consensus that

hillary clinton -- what hillary clinton consensus that she managed to forge with allied powers to protect the civilians in libya, after gaddafi issued a series of blood-curdling statements about how he was going to track down the rebels, you know, street by street, closet by closet. and it looked like there was an impending humanitarian disaster. and immediately after the security council acted, gaddafi says, okay, cease-fire, fine. so maybe now it's a cat and mouse game. but so we'll see. but i think this president acted correctly in understanding that this is a european crisis. >> british onboard? >> let's be really clear about what this is. first of all, yes, the french and british are going to take the lead role in military actions. they're actually going to do the flyovers and the bombing operations, at least initially, into libya. but let's be clear thousand

unfolded. the united nations arab league, secretary of defense, and a bipartisan coalition in the congress, including john mccain, john kerry and joe lieberman, were all putting enormous president on this professor the past month it. took obama 31 days before he decided that we yes, more aggressive action on libya was needed. i understand the arguments on both sides, the invention side and the non-intervention side. the problem for this president has been that he put american credibility on the line early on by saying gaddafi must go, and then he stood back and let a power vacuum be filled by moammar gaddafi and his forces. >> so obama is deliberative, what's wrong with that. >> into nothing wrong with being deliberative, and the consequences of not doing something for several weeks might put the issue in libya as a defunct issue because he's gone too far. and just because he said there's going to be a cease- fire, there are all kinds of things they can do so the the street level.

with have to find some way we have that under control. but it's clear that this was an operation that was not only led by the french and british, but pushed on to the american agenda by then. there was a conference now in paris they've organized around this issue. the americans are there as observer, not even as participants. so we have lost a lead role in something where we should have played a lead role. >> we don't need a lead role in invading another muslim country. this was not america's action to take on america's own, and i think that left -- usually -- excuse me -- we're doctoring along the reluctant allies. this is wonderful for have the british in the lead. >> you know the public's will on this, right? you've seen the polls. 65% of the public don't like the idea of going in. >> that's why, john, and under our constitution obama can't attack libya if both houses of the congress authorize this.

we are a constitutional republic. and he ought to go to congress and say, here's what i want to do. give me the authority, and then he can go ahead. >> he'll be respectful of congress. he's not going to go without them. i'm sure he's met with the leaders of the relevant committees. calm down. >> gaddafi's days in power numbered, pat buchanan? >> all our days are numbered, john. but is he going to be out of power shortly? john, i don't know the answer to that because i think we have not thought through the second and third and fourth trenches of this intervention. we're going to bomb and stop him. what do we do after that. >> we haven't bombed yet. let's see what he does now. and it's a cliche now. but he's on the wrong side of history. the squeeze is being put on. he may not be going tomorrow or next week but i think first of all, to pat's point under the war powers act of 1973, the commander in chief has 90 days

to commit military troops to a combat zone without congressional authorization. >> that includes airplanes? >> that includes everything. but number two, look, the other part of this equation is when we about the rebels or opposition to gaddafi, we have a tendency in the west to romanticize what that opposition is. just because moammar gaddafi is loathsome doesn't mean the opposition to him is any less loathsome. >> are our days numbered? >> we need to to be very careful who we are defending. his days are numbered but those who could replace him could be worse. >> in, i don't think his days are numbered. you can rant remove him incomes you have forces on the ground. you may stop him, where he is, with airpower. but you are not gun able to remove him with airpower. he is controlling an large part of the country, majority of the country. nobody will have the military force to go against him have th

issue two, japan's agony. >> we do not expect harmful levels of radiation to reach the united states, whether it's the west coast, hawaii, alaska, or u.s. territories in the pacific. >> fukashima dai-ichi, japan's nuclear power plant, is in collapse. a collapse tryingrd by mother nature. an earthquake, 9.0 on the richter scale, almost unheard of! and a tsunami, some waves higher than 30 feet. the fukashima nuclear plant is now emitting dangerous levels of radiation. a top u.s. nuclear safety official said this week that the situation in japan is worse than what japanese officials there had said. japanese officials ordered evacuations within a 12-mile radius. the white house urged americans in japan thththththththththththh radius than japan's radius. japan's crisis is already influencing nuclear power

programs around the world. china announced this week that it had suspended final approval for the construction of 50 new nuclear power lantz, which account for almost 40% of the world's planned nuclear reactors. the u.s., the u.k., france and china have all defended nuclear power. the u.k. has four nuclear re anthonyors in the advanced planning stage, and france has one. china has 50 reactors in that phase. the u.s. has 104 functioning nuclear reactors in 31 states. question, should president obama follow germany's lead and shut down civilian nuclear re ankers and check them out? eleanor? >> i think he did the right thing by calling for a review of all of the reactors. there are two in california, that are built on faults that, were discovered after they were put in place. allegedly, they're built to withstand quakes i think up to

7 or 8. but this was a 9. and it wasn't actually the earthquake that did the damage in japan of it was the fact that the backup generators were located in the basement, and they were flooded out by the tsunami, and that ended the ability to cool the reactor and spent fuel yard. and i'd like to point out the general electric designed this plant and it's a design flaw, and there were questions raised about this plant in the past. what this does is just raises the bar higher, appropriately so, for the nuclear industry. >> general electric says it doesn't take this thing idlely. that they have corrected -- not corrected, they have updated the plants and they're safe. >> well, something went wrong in japan, and i think it's appropriate to look at thtors w country. this is why the president had

to go on television and tell people are they don't have to go buy iodine pills. >> you got san onofre and the diablo in california. and clearly any plant that is on a earthquake sensitive site ought to be double and triple checked. but to go the german route i think and shut down, that shows >> let's hear, okay, it's that simple. >> to meet our growing energy needs and prevent the worst consequences of climate change, we'll need to increase our supplies of nuclear power. it's that simple. >> president obama designated in his 2011 budget $5 for nuclear development. >> did you know that? >> yes, guaranteed. >> question, by the way, the state that has the largest number of nuclear reactors in the united states is what. >> illinois. >> tennessee. >> it's the middle of the country, that's where they ought to be. >> who -- >> barack is from illinois?

>> lincoln? >> who is the mayor of chicago? >> now rahm emanuel. but they were there -- >> what did he do as an investment banker. who is his principal client, ge? >> 17 nreactors than any other >> the problem, though, illinois -- illinois. >> how many. >> yes. >> 11. okay. excellent plan has 17. butt real problem is the insurance, it will soar. and you'll need government guarantees in order to get the plants going. and frankry we cannot walk away from nuclear power. >> you think i'm imputing anything to illinois? >> i think your bigger point is barack obama and the rest of the left have made this evolution over the last 30 years where they used to be very anti-nuclear. you can't hug your children

with nuclear arms. nuclear weapons and energy. they'vewoman now come to emigres for environmental regions but nuclear is safe, clean and efficient. every energy source, whether coal or oil, all have dangers associated with it. that 104 number of reactors provides 20% of all of our electricity, john. >> what is the do factor operating in this discussion, and this reality, of nuclear power? what is the reality being overlooked? >> there are several looks. >> what is it? >> level one. >> no, know the plot line, and i'm not sure it's terrorism. >> do you think the mutt police ty of these plants, more in the united states than any other country, the multiplicity of them is in any way creating a danger from terroristst? >> no 93 sure be they have enormous security provision. but there is risk. and one of the things that will happen now for these new plants, because they're going

to want much more safety built into those things, it will raise the cost of these plants. number two, just to go to your point about the fault, the theory about earthquakes is it causes an earthquake on the other side of the plate, on the other side of the pacific plate, and is northeast corner and that is the west coast of the united states. and if that happens to be in an area where the nuclear facility, we'll have big troubles. they're going to center to look at all of these plants and completely reinforce the security and safety provisions. >> people are maybe even irrationally afraid of radioactivity and nuclear reactors, which is why you're seeing the panic that you're seeing past. >> for them. question has media coverage of the fukashima plant emergency been more sober and responsible or more sensational and hysterical, pat. >> no american has ever died from radiation or nuclear power. secondly, i from radiation. >> no it was blast.

>> eleanor? >> i think the coverage has basically contributed to the anxiety that people already feel about nuclear power. but i do think it has to be a part of the planet's future because we don't know how to supply. we also want all our conveniences, and so i think it's going to continue, but it's going to -- the move towards it will slow down. good-bye to that nuclear renaissance alexander was talking about. >> the coverage has been full of higher, and one of problems is members of the obama administration bought into the hype, so you had the secretary of energy saying, this is worse than three mile island, then again we don't really have all the details. if you don't have all the details, don't make an statement like. that. >> the man cause of that -- real danger here was not the nuclear plant, it was the tsunami. and that is something that we don't quite have on worry become nevertheless, the popular -- has gotten to the point we have to change the security provisions. on any new plant that gets built. it will be very difficult.

>> the coverage has been more sens i will travel to brazil, child molest and el salvador to forge new alliances across the americas. >> president obama leaves this weekend on a five-day trip to latin america. friday, brazil, to meet with president rousseff, monday chile, to meet with president pinera. tuesday, el salvador, to meet with president sunez. on the chat list, item -- influence, china and iran are using trade and diplomacy to increase their footholds in the region. is the secretary of state on the subject? >> we're in a competition for influence all over the world right now. and latin america we're competing with china and iran.

question, is it smart it diplomacy for president obama to head to latin evening? friday night? to strengthen the ties? >> yes, because he's got his eye on the prize, which is jobs. and he's got to strengthen those trade relationships, and

also i think latin america is considered our severe influence. and china is their are there buying up resources and cuba is exporting doctors, so this is winning the future that he talks about all the time. it's competing. >> point on china well taken? >> yes, oh, absolutely. and central and south america absolutely need more american attention. however, the question is on timing. there's a major crisis in japan, and asia. there's a major crisis in the middle east. there's a crisis at home, a budgetary crisis, deficit and debt crisis. so for obama to leave the country now on this particular mission doesn't make a lot of sense. and he's focused on trade but he's not visiting the two countries that have trade deals languish engine the congress, columbia and panama. >> he said they were -- indicated the top of the administration he will pay attention to latin america. he has. done so. it's a strategic interest for us. >> right. >> and we have neglected it. therefore we should go with the trip tonight bus that says

something by itself. >> i have no problem with his traveling at this point. but i do agree that there are two countries there, with whom we have -- failed to pass trade agreements, which would have a very good impact on our economy. and that's would be languishing in the congress several years. and this administration has not been able to get it through. so i think that's the right focus. >> this trip is a distraction from the real world, quite frankly. will be, the united states trade deficit is will be past 500 billion to 550 billion in january, we got trade definite sits with every country in the world. >> you worked with richard nixon. he was interested in latin america. he went to columbia and his limousine was stoned. that's how interested he was, pat. his tradition, his memory and his legacy. >> i think his legacy is more the opening to china than that trip to columbia. >> i don't know about that! >> gone for three days, over the weekend. i think we can handle the rested of the crisis on our own here on the "the

e four, who will save the party? >> defeat obama in 2012, save our country, and in the process save our pardon. >> the republican goal is clear -- make barack obama a one-term president. how to do that is not so clear. which one of these presume tirr candidates is the g.o.p. best hope are to limit mr. obama to one term in office? barbour, christy, daniels, gingrich, huckaby, huntsman, palin, pawlenty, perry, romney, ryan, santorum? gallop offered some in sight into the answer. the poll released this week measures which candidate has the strongest support. intensity of support, among republican voters. in other words, which

candidate's supporters were the most diehard? gallop calls the survey the positive intensity poll. and it deals with republican presidential candidate images, coming in first former arkansas republican governor mike huckaby. second, minnesota congresswoman michelle bachman. question, is that value in having positive intensity at this stage of the contest? >> sure. but the one name who was not mentioned was john huntsman, who was only known for 20% of the people and has 14% intensity. which is really very good for a guy just come back from china. >> i mentioned his name. >> i know -- saying it's not mentioning. >> when i say that, mention with the kind of adulation that you would normally attribute to such a terrific performer. >> and the president said if mr. huntsman run, he the president will go to iowa, new hampshire and campaign for him because he served as his

ambassador. >> would than the kiss of death? >> yes! >> intensity is a critical factor, but it's mainly a critical factor in the primary nomination run. both folks you put up there huckaby and michelle box box monday, barry goldwater got the nomination after one one primary, but it doesn't help you in the general election. helps you a great deal i guess but if you cannot get into the middle then you have a real problem. >> what did they say about the value of advertising at this point in the upcoming election, 2012? >> reagan. >> what did he say? >> he said people watch toothpaste ads more than political ads at this stage. >> president nixon once said that the general public only begins focusing on a presidential campaign about three weeks before the actual election day. i think both of those names, they might have the most

intensity and passion on the conservative side, but i'm not sure either one of them is actually going to run. >> name omitted. >> sarah palin. >> don al trump! >> if you have no -- no recognition. >> jeb bush. >> was he up there. >> no. >> i think he was up there. >> john, if you have no name recognition now is a good time frankly to get yourself known cheaply with advertising, but somebody like trump is universally known. he doesn't need it. neither does gingrich, neither does palin. >> did jeb bush outlive the negative association with the president? >> i think it's a drawback but he's a potential candidate if he ran. it's a real problem for him, though. >> president reagan was right when he said people don't focus until after labor came but the republicans have to come with a candidate long before that. and the field is really very being. >> it's true that the president is very vulnerable. assume that all things sort of stay true, the economy stays weak and so on, he's vulnerable. but the question something, you can't beat someone with no one.

and right now the republican presidential field is a bit of a hot mess. so it depends on whether or not you can a dark horse like a mitch daniels that will ride. >> will huckaby run? >> i don't know if he is. >> talk-show host, making good money. >> he could win the iowa caucuses if he got in now. >> but he's like you can his life too much to go through all of that again. >> how about haley? >> i just don't see it an ex- lobbyist, mississippi governor -- i mean, he is -- fits the typecasting too much. and he said some things that are super-insensitive. >> people can -- >> super-insensitive! and he's having a lot of fun with it. people like him and i think he'll liven up the primary but he won't get the nomination. >> mark? >> i don't think at this stage you can know who is going to really catch fire in a primary and who will be good against a democratic president looking weak because the economy is so

weak. >> sarah palin scores very low. >> sarah palin, predictions, pat. >> halle barbour says defense spending on the table in terms every budget cuts, foreign policy and defense may be an issue in the republican primaries. >> wow. eleanor. >> that's right, the get out of afghanistan caucus picked up 8 republican votes this week. it's led by democrat dennis kucinich and i'm saying it with a smile, but actually i think it's a serious issue that pressure on this president to get out of afghanistan. >> all right. >> the muslim brotherhood will be running in the show in egypt. they already are. >> they will succeed as president of china next year. >> who? >> ted strickland will be the new chairman of the democratic national committee. bye-bye! q